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Postfest V: King Artur's Knights - The Knights of Fury

Posted on Tue, July 12, 2005 by Dongul

gvdammerung writes "When Count Artur Jakartai succeeded Belvor IV as King of Furyondy, he determined to establish a group of peerless knights to set a chivalrous example for all knights in Furyondy. These knights would epitomize everything Artur hoped for his kingdom. They would be fierce combatants, stalwart champions of right, genteel courtiers, skilled diplomats and patrons of every grace and art. This is their story.

King Artur's Knights - The Knights of Fury
By: Glenn Vincent Dammerung, aka GVDammerung
Used with Permission. Do not repost without obtaining prior permission from the author.

Upon taking the throne, King Artur determined to establish a group of peerless knights to set a chivalrous example for all knights in Furyondy. These knights would epitomize everything Artur hoped for his kingdom. They would be fierce combatants, stalwart champions of right, genteel courtiers, skilled diplomats and patrons of every grace and art.

To recruit such knights to his service, Artur decreed a great tourney and fair in the second year of his reign. Now an annual event held the second week of Patchwall, the Chendl Listefaire immediately drew the interest of the nobles and knights of Furyondy eager for the opportunity to impress the new King. With so great an assemblage promised, merchants from as far away as Ket and the City of Greyhawk made plans to attend. The best artists, musicians, poets and playwrights all received royal patronage to come and entertain the throng. Yeoman and local peasants were even invited to have judged their finest produce, livestock and savory dishes prepared from the same.

The crowning event of the Listefaire would be a three-day, double elimination tourney. Knights would compete in jousting and melee combat. All Furyondians could compete in a kingdom wide archery contest.

For nobles, the King would host a grand reception and ball at the beginning of the Listefaire. To conclude matters, a great hunt would be held, followed by a public feast founded on the game taken during the hunt. At the feast, honors would be bestowed on all victors in the various competitions to a general acclaim.

Artur’s plan was to recruit for his new order of knighthood the finest of the assembled knights. The King’s choice was made much simpler than he could have imagined. Drawn by such a gathering of Furyondy’s finest, although no invitation was sent, another laid plans to attend – Iuz.

So great a gathering of Furyondy’s ruling class was too tempting a target to pass up. Now would Iuz be revenged upon the Furyondians who denied him his hard won empire in the south. In one stroke, the new king, his nobles and their finest knights would be slaughtered. Furyondy would belong to the Old One.

Not a fool, in the days before the Listefaire, King Artur secured the northern border of Furyondy with increased patrols and had formations drawn up and prepared along likely attack routes. No army would march on Chendl. None did.

Iuz struck from the air. A great flight of wyverns, some few evil dragons and the first deployment of winged gargoyles by Iuz descended upon the celebration during the great feast. All was thrown into chaos. Slaughter strode red-handed through the crowds as nobles and knights, yeoman and guilders, peasants and playwrights were slain without distinction.

From the midst of this carnage arose those who would thereafter stand with King in the first rank of the defenders of the Kingdom of Furyondy. The Knights of Fury.

As Iuz’ attack began, the lead rider of Iuz’s forces, astride a great red wyrm, bore down upon the King, who stood fast, holding his ground that others could flee to safety or hastily grid themselves for the fight. Clad in only ceremonial armor of no true worth in battle, Artur did have resort to the Sword of State with which he engaged his foeman. It was the young Queen, Calthene, who came to her husband the King’s aid. Fighting by his side, she made makeshift lances from the decoratively displayed guidons with which she assailed the dragon and its fierce rider. Knighted for he gallantry afterward, the Queen would thereafter be known by her choice as Lady Calthene.
As the King and Queen fought for their lives, Sir Lhandes, Listefaire tourney champion, winner of both the joust and melee, alone drove into the crush of Iuz’ gargoyles, who settling to earth to rend easy prey found instead a tiger among the lambs. Now widely acknowledged as Furyondy’s greatest knight and named as the King’s Champion, Sir Lhandes drew about him an intricate, swirling latticework of steel. Never one to be found far from his arms or armor, Sir Lhandes was the best prepared to meet the enemy that appeared that day. Dodging, feinting, thrusting and slashing, almost faster than the eye could follow, Sir Lhandes wove with his great blade a tapestry of destruction. Gargoyles fell and shattered, flung back from the knight’s powerful blows. Yet, ever more of the winged monsters pressed close, threatening to overwhelm even the fittest of knights with sheer numbers.

At the same time, having been seated in something of the rear of the feasting ground with a contingent of Littleberg men of his service, Sir Jermain, son of the Duke of Littleberg, could take stock of the precarious situation in which the Furyondians immediately found themselves. The peasants and yeomen in attendance, by their sheer numbers, impeded any easily organized resistence to the assault. Blindly panicked, the maddened crowd surged toward every likely avenue of escape; those not immediately under threat from above were then in danger of being crushed by their fellows. Sending his men for their arms and armor, Sir Jermain saw to it that way was made that the throng could escape.

As Iuz’ dragons descended and his gargoyles fell upon their victims from the sky, the wyverns and their fell riders held back, swooping in here and there to break up any clumps of resistence that might form in response to the aerial assault, but drawing back once again. Had anyone time to observe, a collective start was evident among the circling drakes, when a figure detached itself from the ground and rose up swiftly into their midst. The first, perhaps curious, perhaps overconfident, wyvern riders to move to the challenge were rudely thrown back by levenbolts, their mounts left flapping blackened stumps as they plummeted from the sky. Sir Cyndarius, a half-elf from far Sunndi, happening to attend the Listefaire, was both a puissant fighter and an accomplished wizard. Now, he took an accounting of the wyverns, laying about the suddenly shrieking and frenzied firmament with great magics.

For a moment, the swirling tide of the battle held all in the balance. The initial shock of Iuz’ attack past, resistence formed. Yet, the stalwart Furyondian defenders now pressing into the fray were too separated, to slow to form to effect the outcome if the King and the first few noble defenders were to fall in the span of heartbeats before help could arrive. Iuz’ chief aim would be accomplished. To prevent such a tragedy, two more would rise to the occasion.

From out the west, for their barracks are so located, Sir Palameed of Ket lead the Kozeki Horsemen of the Furyondian Guard in a frenzied charge. Sabres drawn, the western horsemen parted all before them, friend and foe. What was chaos was doubly so but the Kozeki were masters of such chaos and Sir Palameed, from the center of the whirlwind, directed aid to the King, to Sir Lhandes and to Sir Jermain, whose men now plunged into the fight.

In the sky above the feasting-ground turned battleplain, Lady Greyslaine wheeled into view on her winged pegasus. Paladin-knight of Highfolk and sorceress by blood, she had late reached the stable where he mount awaited. Now airborne, the Grey Lady, as she is nicknamed by her fellows, plied her great bow to effect as she closed. Then, drawing forth her lance, she to Sir Cyndarius’ side flew, dispatching the white wyrm that lately pressed the wizard-knight.

Then did the battle draw to a certain close. The King seen full in command drew support to him. From bloody ruin, a defiant roar rose from a thousand throats. This day did not mark the red end of Furyondy but a beginning, baptized in blood. Iuz’ forces were thrown back. The Knights of Fury were born.

First among the Knights of Fury are the King, Lady Calthene, Sir Lhandes, Sir Jermain, Sir Cyndarius, Lady Greyslaine and Sir Palameed. Some two dozen others now round out their company. Any Knight, from Furyondy or beyond, may hope to join the Knights of Fury. Only the finest, however, are chosen. It is considered the greatest honor to be asked to join the King’s company of knights. Senior knights of long established orders of knighthood in Furyondy feel no shame in acknowledging chivalry’s flower in the Furious Knights.

Knight of Fury Prestige Class

The Knights of Fury are the best of the best of the knights of Furyondy. Members of the order are typically drawn from other knightly orders in Furyondy and sometimes beyond. To be considered for admittance to the Order of the Knights of Fury, a character must already have been knighted. To be recognized as a knight in Furyondy, this means the character must have attained at least three levels in the Knight of Furyondy prestige class.

Knights of Fury are expected to adhere to that same Code of Chivalry as a Knight of Furyondy. They must also demonstrate courtly and diplomatic skills. In rare instances, notably the case of Sir Palameed, a barbarian may be allowed into the Order without the prerequisite skills, but he or she must immediately gain those skills as soon as they have the necessary skill points.

All Knights of Fury serve the King directly, giving up all other allegiances. Paladins of good aligned deities do not lose their paladin status by becoming Knights of Fury and may continue to advance as paladins or within the prestige class.
Hit Die: d10

Requirements:
To qualify to become a Knight of Fury, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Base Attack Bonus: +13
Skills: Diplomacy 5 ranks, Knowledge (literature/poetry) 2 ranks, Knowledge (nobility) 4 ranks, Perform (dance) 3 ranks, Sense Motive 3 ranks.
Skill Points: 2 + Int Modifier

Class Skills: All classes may take all skills equally. The limitation of skills to particular classes as described in the D&D rules is an example of poor game design by designers attempting to create complexity and “difference” between classes in an artificial way. The justification for the limitation fails to recognize the practical effect of poor skill selection and the limitation on skill points per class. It is unnecessary and will not be followed. Individual DMs may choose to add class skills if they choose to do so, of course.

Class Features:
All of the following are class features of the Knight of Fury prestige class.
Damage Reduction: (Ex) At 1st, 3rd and 5th levels, a Knight of Fury gains the listed bonus damage reduction. The bonuses to damage reduction stack. Thus, at 5th-level, a Knight of Fury will have damage reduction 15/-. This ability represents the Knight of Fury’s ability to shrug off lesser blows in the pursuit of their goals and the King’s business.
Spell Resistence (Su): At 2nd and 5th levels, a Knight of Fury gains a bonus spell resistance. The bonuses to spell resistance stack. Thus, a 4th-level Knight of Fury will have spell resistance 10. This ability represents the both the Knight of Fury’s ability to move forward into melee combat and not to be otherwise swayed by any means from his or her duty.
King’s Justice (Ex): At 1st level, the Knight of Fury carries with them the authority of the King. A Knight of Fury receives a +5 bonus to all Intimidate, Bluff and Diplomacy checks, as well as a +5 bonus to all Will saves.
Superior Horsemanship (Ex): At 2nd level, the Knight of Fury receives a +10 bonus to all Ride checks, and a +5 bonus to hit for any attack made from horseback. The Knight of Fury is first a mounted combatant without peer.
Strength of Arms (Ex): At 3rd level, the Knight of Fury doubles all damage from high Strength. The Knight strikes both from vast experience and strong conviction.
Righteousness (Su): At 4th level, so great is the Knight of Fury’s devotion to their cause that they become immune to non-magical disease, poison, magical aging and suffer no further penalties for advanced age.
Break Enchantment (Su): The ultimate ability of the Knight of Fury is to be able to sunder the bonds of magic through sheer force of will. At 5th Level, a Knight of Fury may dispell enchantments, illusions, and transmutations by succeeding at a Break Enchantment check equal to d20 + Wisdom score (not Wisdom Modifier) against a DC equal to the level of the caster of the spell to be broken plus the level of that spell. This ability is useful five times each day. An unsuccessful use counts as one of the five available uses.

Knight of Fury

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special
1st	+1	+2	+0	+0	Damage reduction +5, King’s Justice
2nd	+3	+2	+0	+0	Spell resistance +5, Superior Horsemanship
3rd	+3	+3	+1	+1	Damage reduction +5, Strength of Arms
4th	+4	+4	+1	+1	Spell resistance +5, Righteousness
5th	+5	+4	+1	+1	Damage reduction +5, Break enchantment

Note
This article utilizes aspects of the Furyondy Reforged article submitted to Canonfire by myself.

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